U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright toured Duke Energy’s Roxboro coal plant Friday afternoon and praised what he referred to as a historic energy source. The visit comes one week after the Environmental Protection Agency rolled back greenhouse gas regulations on American power plants.
The Energy Department granted Duke Energy about $62 million this year for upkeep on two coal plants. The federal funds will save North Carolina ratepayers money on power plant maintenance costs, but the utility still aims to sunset coal power in North Carolina by 2040.
Wright delivered his remarks in front of Person County’s Roxboro Station, which Duke plans to fully convert to natural gas by 2034. During his visit, Wright lauded the role of coal in the global energy supply, though North Carolina receives most of its energy from natural gas and nuclear energy.
“By far and away, the largest source of electricity is coal. It has been for 126 years in a row. It will be on the day when we all die,” Wright said.
